Artist Chris Hopkins discusses his painting “Butterflies” and his other works depicting the Tuskegee Airmen, currently displayed in the exhibit “Red Tails Silver Wings” at the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery on Saturday. The exhibit will be shown until July 31.(Photo: Mickey Welsh / Advertiser)Buy Photo

When Seattle-born artist Chris Hopkins began the Tuskegee Airmen collection in 2006, he had no idea it would be a collection.

After the nationally acclaimed illustrator worked with the Air Force Art Program to create a piece called "Butterflies," focusing on the U.S. Army Air Forces' first African-American pilots, he moved on to other projects.

But he couldn't let go of the Tuskegee Airmen and how their courage during World War II had helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. The project slowly took over more of his career and quickly captivated much of his interest until he devoted both to telling their story through art.

The result is "Red Tails, Silver Wings: Painting and Drawings of the Tuskegee Airmen by Chris Hopkins," which is on exhibit at the Rosa Parks Museum in downtown Montgomery through July 31.

Posted!

Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:

"I found the whole story of the Tuskegee Airmen, all the people who worked with them, and what they achieved in the time of Jim Crow and a lot of denial to be very inspiring," Hopkins said.

He was surprised at how big a success his first work "Butterflies" became. "I started getting calls from family members of the Tuskegee Airmen asking to use the artwork for funerals. Alexander Jefferson, one of the Tuskegee Airmen who is still with us, wanted to use it for promotion of a book he had written," Hopkins said.

By this time the painting was hanging in the Pentagon and had become an official U.S. Air Force image of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The positive feedback motivated Hopkins to research deeper into the Airmen's history and the more he found out the more fascinated he became.

Inspired by their story, Hopkins decided to expand the collection in 2009, and it was not until 2013 that he finished.

In total, there are over 40 illustrations, ranging from oil paintings to charcoal sketches, in the collection.

If you're wondering how the Washington native came to display his art on the opposite end of the country, just know that the rich history of Montgomery came into play.

"There is a historian who I work with by the name of Guy Franklin. He said that this would be a wonderful place to show at because it's considered a premier museum dealing with civil rights. So what better place?" Hopkins asked.

And he said the museum has been nothing but welcoming. Daniel Neil, the director of the Rosa Parks Museum, heaped praise on Hopkins' talent and aptitude for getting viewers to empathize with the subjects in each piece.

"Art has a way of helping us look at complicated issues ... it gets into your subconscious in a way. So when you're viewing an exhibition, in this particular case, about military history and the role of African-Americans in the U.S. military, we see people, we see their faces, we see individual struggles, and kindnesses, and the desires of human beings rather than the impersonal nature of the military. And I think that's what Chris Hopkins does a fantastic job of." Neil said.

When asked about his favorite illustration out the collection, Neil referenced "Butterflies."

"The painting shows a young flier, standing on the wing of his fighter as the sun breaks, and he's about to go into combat. And rather than showing the sort of war hero with all the confidence, it's called 'Butterflies' because you can see that bit of nervousness in his eyes. And I think that's what Chris has done so well, is really show us that it's not always a cut-and-dried situation."

At a recent gallery showing attended by Hopkins, visitors marveled over the emotions that each painting made them feel. Hopkins fielded question after question as he personally explained each of the paintings and the thought process behind creating them.

During the discussion, Neil's face broke into a satisfied smile.

"This space is to try to create an opportunity through art to look at life through multiple lenses and create these conversations," he said.